Beyond All Reason
by Kamishawe
Summary: There's always more than one point of view to a story. The Arcobaleno just weren't sure what to make of the events unfolding before them after Skull and Colonello had escaped from an unknown organization set on experimenting with them.
1. Chapter 1

**.**

 **Beyond All Reason**  
 _ **Preface**_  
 _There is always more than one point of view_

 _— = — = —_

.

You can read these as one-shots, or you can go read _Carry On_ by _Akua_ on _AO3_. I highly recommend it! The story is fantastic and from Harry/Skull's pov. My stories are from the Arcobaleno side of the FUBAR situation they've found themselves in. You'll find a little of everything here: heart felt moments, awkward silliness, family drama, supernatural happenings, magical mysteries, and all around confusion mixed with the world of KHR. Enjoy!

**This is cross posted on AO3 and written with Akua's permission. If you're part of the AO3 crowd, there's some catching up here to do before the new stuff gets posted. Sorry for make you guys wait, I dislike FF formatting. :|

.

 **Sunfire**  
 ** _Newt-Eyes_**  
 _Eyes can see everything and nothing at once_

—{ ❊ }—

.

It was surreal. The world swayed. Everything depicted upside down in oddly colored hues.

 _What was he given and where could he find the good stuff?_

.

++ Master. Hide. ++

Oh. There's Leon. Why was he so big?

They were scampering in a tree and he was dangling from Leon's mouth by a tail.

Why did he have a tail? He felt loopy.

 _He really needed to stop dreaming like this._

 _._

They were in a park. Maybe a zoo? There were animals everywhere!

Two people curled together and not moving nearby. Purple cloths. Yellow Hair.

++ Skull. Colonello. Wake. Up. ++

++ Master. Dumb. Newt. Hide. ++

What?

.

 _Crack!_ **_Crack!_** _Cr-Crack!_

"Gather them up! You know the drill! Find every stray animal and un-hex our team! Auror Longbottom! Get these two out of here!"

"Sir! Here's another one! A newt, Sir! It's got a friend!"

Cazzo!

"Aren't you a cute little thing! Yes, you are!"

++ Hands. Off. Woman. ++

 ** _"Obliviate!"_**

.

Reborn jerked awake.

It was his safe house in Italy. Wasn't he supposed to be in France?

 _Where was Leon?_

.

 **SkyFall**  
 ** _Rain_**  
 _A cleanser, a replenisher, a corrosive element : Water shapes the world to it's whims_

' "¦ '|¦' |' ¦' " '

.

The shower was a slice of heaven. On full blast and blistering hot, Colonello could feel the grime from the last few weeks being shorn off him and swirl down the drain. Showers were always therapeutic. Like mini rainfalls, it helped orientate him head. He wasn't sure what to do anymore. The kidnapping was distressing and the torture gruesome. He didn't know why he was taken even though he was the target. The events were still jumbled in his head.

Whatever Family they were from, they were going to be annihilated. He'd already called the rest of the cavalry. Protocol said to get out of dodge and regroup. He just needed to get Skull and himself to the Paris safe house. He needed to figure out how long they'd been captured and how long they'd been gone to the rest of the world. It should have taken months without a flame healer to recover from what he remembered of the torture. Somehow, Skull had nursed him back to health.

Skull worried him though. He'd been out cold since Colonello woke up. The brief moment of conscious on the ferry from England had been a mindless panic. Skull had been disorientated and completely senseless. A wild animal. Colonello had been shocked when his Rain Flames effortlessly weaken Skull, then rendered him comatose again.

Did anyone know Skull originally had emerald green eyes?

It was heart breaking to not see the purple eyes of his cloud. He didn't think it was like what happened to his own eyes. Colonello imagined his were much like hawk vision now. If he didn't concentrate, he'd become disorientated from all the little details he could see or spy objects in the distance, miles away. Despite the change, his eyes weren't a different shape or color. Skull's eyes were a sign of sealed flames.

The Vindcare had banned the art when it's destructive effects became known. The knowledge of flame seals was practically wiped from the mafia world. A seal on a person's flame damaged the mind and soul. They were almost impossible to remove to boot without permanent damage to the inflicted. That a Famiglia had such capabilities spelled trouble.

Tsuna, the only case in the last several decades, was lucky Reborn got to him in his early teens. A couple more years and even Reborn's flame bullets wouldn't have been able to save Tsuna from the killing effects of Nono's seal. The Vongola hadn't realized or didn't care that a seal sluggishly strangled the soul in a slow and painful death as the un-expelled energy continued to grow and tried to expand with no where to go.

What it meant for Skull, he didn't know.

Eyes still closed, Colonello could faintly hear Skull's soft tread on the carpet and occasional murmur over the shower. It was time to look in on his cloud. Skull might know something he didn't and no one got away with hurting his family.

.

 **Dawn of Digital**  
 ** _Witch Doctor_**  
 _To tempt is to keep that which you should not allow_

—√\/— _  
_

.

"Here. This was on him as well. There's this urge to ignore it similar to the bag."

Finding nothing of interest in said bag, Verde focused on the wristband presented by Colonello. It was pretty in the same way irradiated and lethal substances were enchanting. There were hundreds of radiant phantom blue flower clusters on the band that - under a microscope - were revealed to be vials. A cluster of seven vials exactly like the ones found at the coastal hotel in northern France. They too had the mind trick of _'these are not the vials you are looking for.'_

Did… Did Skull relapse into substance abuse again? It was the same color consistency of that toxic cleaning agent Skull was hooked on after everyone turned into toddlers. It's chemical make-up was wrong though. This was a type of ectoplasm that was more meta physical then liquid from what he could tell without un-shrinking and opening a vial. Shamal would be able to tell them more.

The trunk on the floor broke the laws of physics. Bigger on the inside than out, Verde salivated at being able to figure it out. The side of the Victorian Era apothecary was the most daunting. Albus Potter was either a medieval witch doctor who made medical miracles or a certifiable quack.

Verde had been betting on quack until a very specific set of vials caught his attention: an empty eye restorer, an empty general heath restorer, and an empty severe burn salve. Then a set of vials that had the same eerie shade and consistency of Skull's make-up labeled scar remover, another drug addiction look-a-like called a nutrition potion, and two favorite nasty flavored drinks of Skulls' labeled as a dream blocker and mood elevator.

"Shit. Colonello! Reborn!"

They had a new, more immediate goal. Separate and confiscate anything that looked or smelled like something Skull would associate with before the Cloud Arcobaleno woke up. Skull was not getting near them until Albus Potter or the substances were thoroughly investigated and vetted as safe by Shamal or himself.

Verde doubt Skull would notice they were missing if he re-acquired the trunk, or miss the single flower clutter of glowing blue vials that Verde kept in his pocket for further study versus the hundreds of others left on the band.

.


	2. Chapter 2

**.**

 **Sunfire**  
 ** _Fury_**  
 _To be blind to ones temper is to forsake better opportunities_

—{ ❊ }—

.

Reborn hadn't believed it.

Colonello was right.

Skull no longer had amethyst eyes but brilliant moldavite. There was empty space where their bond should have been pulsing in Reborn's heart and flames. He could feel the resonating loss in his companions despite being separated by countries.

Warping Leon into his famed Dying Will Gun, Reborn was furious. When this was over, he was borrowing Verde's nuclear satellite and making it go supernova. He wanted to burn the entire Famiglia into a smoldering crater for this insult. They were years past the point of having to shoot the Lackey to get his flames active and useful. Years past having to rough their Cloud to get Skull to obey mafia orders. The effects of the seal's mental instability was already setting in if the Lackey was fighting Colonello this wildly and refusing to listen.

 _It needed to go!_

 _._

The situation was not under control.

A sound like thunder cracked a hole in the floor next to where Skull's head had been. Another bullet moved Skull's hand away from taking the bag, though the trunk of chemicals was missing entirely. Where did it disappear too?

Having Skull's attention was always like the lion versus the skittish gazelle. A tilt of his head and a blank face with stone slate eyes would freeze his prey. It always tripped the Lackey and turned the civilian into a blubbering mess pinned under his boot.

 _Except it hadn't._

 _._

"I don't care who the hell you assholes are, but I'm not getting near that table!"

Che palle! At close range, Skull shouldn't have dodged his bullets! Something wasn't right.

"Lackey. What are you babbling about. You have ten seconds to explain."

 _The seal needed to go!_

 _._

"I have no clue who you assholes are, but I'm so done. I'm out."

Skull did not hiss. He did not practice Parkour. Skull had never been able to run and dodge like so. A later inspection showed the door was sealed; enlarged into the frame. A door that should not be intact with the damage Reborn had dealt.

"You are Arcobaleno. You are one of us. The strongest seven."

They'd come too far together. They could never just walk away. Reborn could never let Skull go.

"Lackey, I don't know what they did to you. But we will fix you."

 _Wrong._

 _._

The impact with the alley wall was stunning, Skull had never blasted them like that!

 _Not Right!_

.

Skull did not have the skill to read lips!

Nor was he Frank Abagnale!?

 _Something was very very wrong!_

 _._

Skull had resisted Verde's drug!

Then instantly disappeared from the train.

 _None of this was possible!_

 _._

Except Skull had just done it all effortlessly.

.

 **Dawn of Digital**  
 ** _Leap of Faith_**  
 _To trust another beyond measure_

—√\/—

.

Where is he… Where is he… Where's Skull?

Verde ran every search engine available and many that definitely weren't. He was blazing through backdoor databases and unlisted government servers. Anything to get his hands on Skull's location since his great escape on the Paris Métro. Every CCTV network available in France was burning juice as Verde ran a facial recognition algorithm every 15 secs.

In this day and age it was impossible to stay off the grid. There was an operating camera within 5 feet of a person at all times. Phones clicked pictures and posted to social media sites every split sec. Every financial transaction was digitized and watched with a camera nearby. Civilians made the possibility of 'Big Brother' and it's 'evil twin sister' all too easy.

Chirp. Bank. Not there any more.

Chirp. Clothing. Already left the premise.

Chirp. Food. Nope. Remember to lecture Skull on his eating habits.

Chirp. Transportation. **There!**

 **.**

 _{LightningArc, FacRecCloud: 1 record, 85% match;_  
 _record log: 187352639;_  
 _timestamp: 1300 CET;_  
 _location: Gare du Nord, Paris, France;_  
 _subloc: Transit Station 32;_  
 _transportation: SNCF Speed Rail;_  
 _designation: 16753;_  
 _destination: Muenchen, Germany;}_

 _._

Where was Fon? He'd had unfinished business in Belarus yesterday, so there was a transfer to —Damn!

Where was his phone number? Come on, Fon...Pick up... Pick up...

 _"Nǐ hǎo."_

"You just left Muenchen on an ICE Rail to Paris."

 _"Yes"_

"You're jumping in 20 secs."

 _"Why am I jumping?"_

"Just JUMP!"

Verde watched everything from the train's surveillance system. In camera 57, Fon raced through his train to make a leap based on a split sec time window when the two trains passed each other going 200mph in opposite directions. In camera 13, Skull was make-up free looking dazed, lost, and miserable. His looked seconds away from hysterics over the female conductor who was checking passengers, even though he'd produced paper he shouldn't have.

 _"The conclave is in Paris. You had me jump from one bullet-train onto another going in the wrong direction."_

"I know. Three cars up. Row 7. Right-side isle seat. The window passenger needs to get to the Munich Vongola Hotel without suspicion. "

 _"…Why?"_

Bone weary. That's the feeling Verde couldn't place. The Arcobaleno had only just begun looking for answers and it was already shaping up to be a mess. The Skull Factor was already in play. Anything that can be weird; will be weird.

"…It's Skull... He's flame sealed. Don't spook him, he's messed up pretty badly. Go, he just left for the water closet."

Why Germany? Where was Skull going? What did he know? What was he seeking? So many questions. So little answers.

Viper's last check in was the airport in Vienna, Austria. They needed the Vongolia Hotel in Munich prepped. Viper could set up a fairly basic panic room that would allow them to monitor Skull unobserved while Reborn, Colonello, and himself caught up. They'd give Skull the time to recoup while the rest disseminated what info they had.

Maybe. Verde's group needed to get a move on it.

 _Now._

Before Skull was on the move _again._

 _._

 **Celestial Master**  
 ** _Ying & Yang_**

A storm is formed by opposition : a collision of opposing forces

( ( § ) )

.

With a weary sigh, Fēng slumped into the aisle seat and kicked up his feet. Against all intents and purposes, he was ready to take a nap. Screw Verde's need for caution. Being a high priest didn't come with the bell and whistles of luxury pool side leisure or restful sleep. It was running around the world playing diplomat, kicking the clerics into shape, and acting as the persona of Fon when dealing with the west.

However grudging one felt about the high noses, being a liaison was one of his duties. Fēng reveled in being a maestro of balance, harmony, and cataclysm as a Tao priest. The Tao Huiling School of Thought was less pretentious and far older than Vongola's conventional soul label trend had set.

When the leadership role in the Huiling was finally relinquished to him, his qi had been a swirling rainbow of light. Like his predecessors, he was a true believer and practitioner in the life cycles, balance, eternity, harmony, and nature. It was a cornerstone his people relied on to keep their power clean and flowing. Something they'd learned long ago from the youkai and mystical creatures that roamed the eastern lands.

Then the west and that Alien's concepts crept in. They wanted strictly mafia rules and everyone to adhere to their system. Hold the people to specific colors representing a certain range on personality traits and emotions. It went against everything they knew about the soul. The Mafia wanted the Qi actives to neglect and harm whole pieces of themselves in order to satisfy Kawahira's needs.

Seeing Skull again will be refreshing. Many years were spent playing various board games like Shogi, and Weiqi while debating philosophers and ideologies to pass the time. There was never any deception between them and they'd often traveled together before Fēng's business became priority.

Neither subscribed to Kawahira's political agenda against nature with the Tri-ni-set. It was an abomination that disrupted the planet's life cycle. To what purpose, they didn't know. One of Skull's debates said the system produced easily identifiable types of people with certain social skill sets in order to create the best functioning group of people available to use.

If that was the case, fortune had landed the perfect position to play his part as a Storm -the pinnacle of stability or the counterpoint to an imbalance in the group. If they needed some destruction? It was only a clashing of two opposing elements away from his finger tips.

To keep the peace, and their way of life away from Kawahira, Fēng created the tale of flame users in the Triad. Whole clans willing moved into the Triad's power structure to help the falsehood. Desire and passion was channeled into a tool of martial arts. The peoples happiness, success, power and indignation turned his shield as their negotiator to the outside world.

True to his cultural belief, Fēng's outer aura of his soul had turned a _lucky_ red as a result of the imbalance. Contrary to the Vongola's propaganda, Qi color was shaped by perception and red was not the color of disitegration, destruction or hot tempers to his people.

 _Fon_ was created to be the perfect Storm.

As Skull came back, Fēng fondly remembered the past. The Zǐsè didn't believe the charade for a second when they first met years ago. There were very few secrets left between them.

The lack of traditional Skull greetings reminded Fēng of a different problem concerning Skull. This was not the first time Fēng had encountered Skull mentally messed up. Skull hadn't remembered their first true meeting either. Back then, Skull had been professional con artist, not a stuntman.

Actually, Fēng kept a lot of secrets from the others about Skull.

As a high priest, seeing Qi was second nature and something had been wrong with the Cloud for as long time. He could see the Reborn's scorch scars in the warped aura. Last time, it was the non-stop chattering that calmed the man down.

He truly was Skull's deeply concerned best friend and now, a stranger.

It was time to do damage control.

.

Note : 6/22/18

Celestial Master is very new and in rough shape. It hasn't had 2 months of me nitpicking, refining and polishing it. Any pointers and criticism to improve it would be greatly appreciated. I'm definitely an amateur in Taoism beliefs and the Chinese language. Please let me know if I got something wrong.

Also, does anyone know the Chinese word or name for Bright (Light) Soul instead of what I currently have —Huiling— which is Bright (Smart) Soul?


	3. Chapter 3

**.**

 **PurpleHaze**  
 ** _Illusions_**  
 _To judge before researching is the folly of ignorance_

›—» } + { «—‹

.

The minions scrambled like ants. One by one, walls were torn down and the ceiling obliterated. Viper was ecstatic! Verde had called for an observation room, but what Viper had in mind was a bit more extensive.

"Does the fluffy sky know your tearing apart his hotel?"

"Nope!" There was a mad grin spreading across Vipers face. Tsuna was going to go ape-shit nuts. "He'll get the bill in a couple days!"

"Why are you tearing the place apart anyway?"

"Money Lal! Why else?" Not quite but the money will move quicker if a person's name is flowing from gossiping lips in quiet corners. "The minions are slow. Time is wasting."

"Sir?" A timid young minion squeaked. "The Lightning Arcobaleno called, the train is an hour out."

"Varia training grounds if the room isn't set up in 45 mins." Viper's parting shot stirred a new frantic frenzy in the anthill.

.

›—» } + { «—‹

.

When was the last time Viper had slept? 2 days ago? Three? A week? A Month? He couldn't rightly remember. Ever since Lal Mirch had sent the red alert about Colonello being MIA the Mist user had been mining every informant available and shadowing suspicious characters. Any hint of _funny business_ behind closed doors, Viper was there. So were the dead ends.

Viper was exhausted and had his head on the countertop of the Munich Vongola Hotel reception, watching through crossed arms, as a blearily recognizable Skull and Fon walk through the front door. Colonello had called three days ago; _Skull_ had organized the escape. No one had even been aware Skull had been taken. It's not like any of them bothered to keep tabs on the cloud. A make-up free Skull was disturbing to see for the first time. The stunt-devil peered at him and shivers ran up Viper's spine. There was no recognition in those green-green eyes. What was going on? Viper hated being ignorant to the situation at hand.

"One hundred and thirty euros a night-take the key."

"Thanks, um…?"

The creeping goosebumps rippled over his skin. This wasn't the loud mouth ill-mannered idiot. He'd seen enough doppelgänger identities and personality disorders to know whoever this was, Skull wasn't home behind those eyes. Viper was counting lucky stars and Hail Mary's for having the observation cage made. No way was he letting this one out of his sight. One way or another he was getting answers. He wasn't leaving before then. He could deal. It was going to be worth it. They were scrambling; information was being lost and money scattered to the winds

"Don't mention it."

.

›—» } + { «—‹

.

When Lal walked out of the elevator, there was already a page of notes and questions written down as he watched Skull in the hallway a floor below. Lal's face was disturbed as she walked on what appeared to be no floor and thin air. It was a two story space that took up 2 hotel rooms and a hall. The skeletal metal beams on a single unit occupied the space and furnished with the bare essentials.

What was more aspiring was watching Skull navigate an invisible hallway and look at walls that weren't there. The two Arcobaleno could see a transparent bluish-purple haze swirling between metal beams like a force field instead.

"Viper? You'll have to explain this one to me."

"After you."

"No idea. Reborn spooked him something terrible and Skull ran here, to Germany."

Viper threw up a hand to stop her. Something was happening. He had to get closer. Kneeling directly above the oblivious cloud, Viper strained to hear -was that _Latin_? Who the frig spoke _that_ language anymore?! It was odd, when combined with Skull's usual fidgety hand and wrist gestures.

He'll have to look up the name Dudley, it was unlike any he'd ever heard.

... and Skull was now techno-iliterate. He certainly didn't know how to operate the entertainment system. Skull was perturbed by the tv and looked at the remote like it was diseased. He struggled with the settings and buttons. Then Skull found a news channel, was violently sick and —Jesus!

The very air was heavy and radiated something like heat. It was making his illusioned walls waver and distort. The electronics were being fried and sparking in sizzling pops. The _TV_ was melting, warping, and on fire!

"What the—?"

"News channel. The London fire. Make sure a minion finds the info."

Then a hand wave from Skull put out the fire.

"That's… Reborn and Colonello were certain he was flame sealed! His eyes? The Bond!"

Sealed Flames? Oh Lal, whatever this was, it wasn't cloud flames or a seal. Was it the Estraneo Famiglia's flame experiments? They were the ones who tried changing a persons flame type in the aim of turning another flame user into a false Sky years ago and got exterminated because of it.

This… this reminded Viper of _Flames of the Earth_. He'd only met a couple over the years. It was a type even rarer than _Flames of the Sky_. In fact, wasn't the Simon Famiglia coming to town?

Enma was a Terra, the sky equivalent of his earth set, and would be able to confirm his suspicion.

.

›—» } + { «—‹

.

"Viper? You never did explain this."

Ah.. How was it that they could see everything as it was, a skeletal structure of a room, but Skull only saw and interacted with an actual hotel room. There was a particular skill reverend among Mists and this was the perfect opportunity to utilize it! Viper's name was going down in history for this! He could see the dollars signs already!

"What do you know about Mists?"

"Not much. A lot of people think Mists are backstabbers, traitors, spies, and self-interested. Actually, quite a few don't see your type of flame as a legitimate part of a sky set. Otherwise, you create some type of illusions and are labeled as the 'Construction' flame."

Viper scuffed, so stereotypical. Alarm flashed through him.

"DUCK!"

Spits of lava flew at them as the beams smoked and the parameter wallpaper curled.

"In ancient times Mists were called Illusionists for their ability to obscure things from a persons perception. Today, they're called Esper because they create physical objects from their flames that appear out of thin air, like magic. It's real constructs that interact with people in the real world. That's the first level of so called _illusions_. Going up, you alter the reality of the world. Then the reality of the Individual. The ultimate goal of Mist title seekers is to alter the reality of multiple individuals at any given time instead of the world at large. It requires precision, finesse, and the ability to multitask on a grand scale that takes years."

"So, Skull is really in a hotel room with all of its physical constructs?"

"Hhm-hm, and the hotel sees the original empty rooms, and we see the newly built room and walk on an invisible floor. Think of it as living on different planes of existence. " Viper hummed an affirmative as he worked to maintain Skulls reality construct after this latest destruction. If Skull expected his room to be damaged, then Viper had to make it so. "However, flames aren't restricted by the minds perception of reality."

"Is that why Skull's voodoo is flying at us instead of stopping at imaginary walls? Because there really aren't any walls?"

"Hhm-hm"

Skull was half delirious and mentally tortured by his own thoughts anyway. Nightmares weren't new to anyone, except Skull had never had any, ever. Until now. Awake or asleep, something was haunting their widely unstable cloud for the last day and a half. In that time his theory about Skull's new flame type gained solidity. How else was Skull able to make vials float in the air, against the laws of gravity?

"No wonder Mists are a head-bake."

.

›—» } + { «—‹

.

All hell broke loose.

There were those rare individuals that cottoned on. The reason no one can break 'illusions' is because the subject truly believed them. Sight, sound, touch, taste - there was no way to tell it wasn't real. Even Mists could get caught up in them. Then events happen, such as when Reborn and Colonello finally arrived at the hotel.

Skull was immediately alert to his surroundings when the two Arcobaleno joined Viper on the second floor. For the first time in almost two days, Skull had perked up and became paranoid, intuition. He was going to run... Colonello and Reborn fell through the invisible floor and were in Skulls reality down below just in time to save Skull from a smack with a window that wasn't truly there. Somehow their time was up.

Things just got weirder when objects moved at will and metal beams bent under cliched fingers.

Viper was certain. They could no longer sense cloud flames or a bond because Skull was no longer a Cloud.

Skull was a Terra Flame.

Why else would he have earthly green eyes and supernatural abilities?

.

 **Skyfall**  
 ** _Sun Shower_**  
 _To have and to hold apply to more than marriages_

' "¦ '|¦' |' ¦' " '

 _._

There wasn't a single cloud overhead, but he could still feel droplets of rain. Sliding down to lay on the roof of Olympic Tower among the antenna arrays, Colonello gazed at the sky above. The tower was the highest point in Munich; the needle point giving a birds eye view of the entire city. It was a prime spot for snipers and scientists alike. When Reborn gave chase from the Vongola hotel, Colonello had ran here and could see everything with his new eyes.

 _Catch me!_

Colonello didn't know what Skull could do anymore. Apparently, he didn't need flames to cause mayhem. Gifts outside of flames were rare and those of the mind prized above all. The Giglio Nero Famiglia was reverend because of their extra gifts in foresight.

So, it was baffling that Skull had psychokinesis. It's manifestation staggering in potential and _Skull?_ —wield it effortlessly. Colonello wouldn't have seen any of it if he hadn't ran for the Eiffel after the shockwave. He'd watched, tranquilizing rifle ready in case Reborn failed. The rear of the train had crumbled away and Reborn couldn't see it, even as the civilian commuters backed away. In everyone's mind Skull vanished into thin air on the train tracks in Paris as if he _was_ a cloud.

Slowly packing up the rifle, he rubbed where the tv smashed into his head and sparks had hit his face. It still hurt. The Paris shockwave Skull had flung at them still tingled in his body and memory. He hadn't really believed it in Paris but watching the chase just now in Munich... He'd seen those hand twitch, wrists swirl and objects _move_. It made sense why everyone had failed to control Oodako despite coping the fingers exactly. At least thirty years of the sea squid mimicking Skull's hand movements, and they never figured out there had once been more to their Cloud than a smart familiar and finger waving.

 _Catch me if you can!_

With a heave, Colonello rolled off the tower and fell to the ground 200 meters below. With Reborn knocked out, they had a rogue cloud to find. For once, everyone was in town and that meant strategy meetings. It was a good thing they'd called in the Carcassa Famiglia. The Arcobaleno had never needed or wanted to find their Cloud before. Skull just turned up. Surly the Famiglia knew something about cloud hunting and catching Skull.

 _Can you keep me?_

The phrases kept mocking him. Was it really a challenge? Was it a taunt? A cry for help? A tag game? Did Skull even know anymore?

 _I won't let you!_

Colonello still needed Viper's report on CloudWatch.

.

 **Sunfire**  
 ** _Rapunzal_**  
 _Mans best friend is not another human_

—{ ❊ }—

 _._

Thoughts fluttered as consciousness returned to Reborn. His stomach ached. A bruise there for sure. Something slimy was drooling in his ear and it was _disturbing._ He was stiff from laying on the concrete and of a piss poor mind. He was going to kill it.

Smack… SQUEEE!

 ** _"Leon"_**

The very recipient of his most menacing growl just did what he did best. Play dead. Reborn jackknifed upright and glared at the pest he held by its tongue. Splay limbs, crocked eyes, and gapping mouth- Leon was cute; it was not going to save him.

"No. Tongue. In. Ear!"

.

++ Cloud ++

Cloud? Wait. Skull!

Reborn spun and aimed Leon at… a wall. Dumpster. Trash heap. Rusted bike. Crumpling mortar. Empty Roof. Nothing.

Cazzo!

He had caught Skull. He had been here. Captured. Time Swapped. Someone made a damn Bazooka last for years. A lifetime. This Skull - _Harry_ \- remembered his past but never experienced their future. Reborn had been getting information out of the Stronzo! Skull had known the Famiglia responsible!

Then... Nothing. Darkness.

.

"Che palle! What happened?"

++ RED. Light. Stop ++

"We are not in traffic. Red. Light. Stop. Doesn't mean shit here."

There were footsteps at the entrance. It sounded like Colonello.

.

"Rapunzal, stop mumbling to Pascal."

… BANG …

"Seriously? Let down your hair! It's been hours!"

... BANG...

"KORA!"

… BANG …

.


	4. Chapter 4

**.**

 **RedSpice**  
 ** _Paprika_**  
 _Hell hath no fury like a woman_

›»^v^«‹

 _._

"You... Sit down... Shut up! Not a word out of your fucking mouth!"

"Lal-" A thunderous crack of a gun sounded. She was there in Reborn's lap, in his face and noses touching. A gun under the man's chin forcing his head up to meet her cold dead eyes. There was a hole in the back of the chair, a millimeter from the Sun's bleeding ear.

Lal Mirch was done.

"Try me, _bhosadike._ " Lal's steel barbed hiss sent shivers through the room. "You've recovered from having your brains blown before. A pleasant perk for a Sun of your renown skill. Even covered in viscous, I will enjoy watching every second of your recovery.

It was the second day of this bullshit meeting and they'd accomplished nothing. Her involvement had been minimal so far, and that wasn't good enough. As former military she never left a fellow comrade behind to suffer. She might not have really known Skull or even cared; that didn't stop him from being one of their group. One of _Hers_.

"You are the reason he's a flight risk. If it's conductive to this meeting, you will raise your hand like a good little boy and not make a sound... That goes for all of you."

It's satisfying to use the man's own tricks. She slowly slinked out of Reborn's lap to drape herself over the back of his shoulders, gun still drawn to keep his head up and eyes locked on her. She had the Arcobaleno to wrangle and a room full of guests to address after all.

"I'd like to humbly apologize for the unseemly display of Acrobaleno hospitality over the last couple days. If you could graciously consent to stay, better accommodations will be provided. We've taken much of your valuable time; however, we do believe your knowledge is paramount to the situation at hand."

She'd even given them her best pearly smile. Hundreds of men had fainted at the sight of it.

They'd stooped to an all-time low having to call on these people. However, the Carcassa Famiglia and the Simon Famiglia had one thing the Arcobaleno didn't -ample and amiable time with Skull. If anyone could find the cloud or predict Skull's thought process, it was these people.

"It's alright." The Carcassa's regent was an unknown young lady in a lab coat. A meeker version of Verde, with lavender hair, surrounded by a rag-tag of vagabonds.

"What could we provide the _I prescelti settle_ that they don't already know themselves?" Enma Kozato, the Earth Decimo of the Simon Family, gave her a condescending smile. Twisting the preverbal knife deeper. Now the verbal sparring could truly begin.

"I agree. The Carcassa Family cannot help you. As his fellow guardians, you know more than us."

"We disagree. He showed for battles, then immediately left when things were over. Skull was never around-"

"-his own gaurdians? Color me surprised. A single stranger was his only ally at the Rainbow Representative Battle and that was the only time we spent together. Where was the Carcassa Family?" When did Kozato become a shark? The pointed glance at the unease and nervous air of the Carcass blatant. Their faces were poorly masking their thoughts. Their regent gave the room a delicate cough.

"Despite popular opinion, the Carcassa Famiglia is not Skull's to call home."

The room filled with quiet murmuring as the Carcassa exchanged looks and panicked glances. They had a secret. One the rest of the room probably wasn't going to like. Nudging Reborn's head to the side, she put a hole in the ceiling to shut them up.

"Start talking."

"The Carcassa Family isn't Mafia."

 _What?_

"It's a science facility with one goal. Run the Fuoco Familiare Program. We didn't intend to create Flame Animals, didn't even know what they were. The Vindicare gave us a visit. We didn't care for any of the mafia's dealings but realistically realized the facility could not go unprotected after our discovery. Because of the nature of the animals we have no Flame Actives in our Famgilia."

" ** _Quiet._** " The mutters had returned and louder. The Carcassa looked resigned at her hiss; like they'd just signed their death warrants. She didn't blame them. The Vindicare had allowed this farce. "Reborn."

"Skull and your enforcers?"

"We apologized to Skull. He was not an intended front or member of our group. He came to us for a familiar but could never flame-bond with any of them; not even Oodako, the octopus. We don't know why but it resulted in rumors after he started spending time with the animals. The income from the familiars allowed enough paid mafia-outcasts to enforce the illusion of being more. They were not in on the secret and truly believed the image of Carcassa."

Verde - "The drugs, prostitution, and trafficking? The Vindice should have incarcerated you years ago."

"No one bothered us if we were the lowest of the mafias underbelly. No one looked deeper. No one asked for things of us because there were no expectations."

Colonello - "Wait… It was all rumor?"

"We wouldn't be here if it wasn't. We hadn't broken any laws after all. The Vindice thought it was hilarious."

Colonello - "We were hoodwinked?"

The young lady scientist gave the room an awkward shoulder shrug, and a decrypted smile. The flash of razor teeth was all for Colonello.

"The enforcers acted as our liaisons. They outsourced the weakest of the mafia to spin tales. Flame actives that had no true talent; therefore, no future. People we couldn't give a home too, but we could still help make ends meet. So, yes, the Mafia World was suckered in by a bunch of brains and small fry."

Someone needed to take charge of these meetings, but why the hell was _she_ the spokesman of this shit storm?

Did these people even _know_ anything about Skull?

.

 **RedSpice**  
 ** _Chili Pepper_**  
 _Deception is accepting nothing is as it seems_

›»^v^«‹

 _._

Did these people even know anything about Skull?

"The drugs weren't a lie. Skull's medical file can attest."

"An unfortunate misunderstanding, Mrs. Red. You really _don't_ know anything about your cloud, do you." For the first time the young woman truly bristled and grew a backbone. "He was mind wiped. The mind may have forgotten but the heart remembers."

Lal saw the lightbulb go off and the thunder flash across the faces of Verde, Colonello, and Reborn. They needed this show on the road, not stalling at the start gate by revelations. Viper was eyeing the Carcassa doubtfully. He'd probably seen their books.

"The vi-"

"- ** _Shut it, Verde..._** "

"You mention no home and limited finance."

"What are you implying!?" Kozato looked appalled.

"Mr. Snake is not wrong. We can't afford it. We have no base of operations. All meetings are by phone or incognito. With the facility a secret, the farce of having no home is very real. _No one_ has room and board with us."

By the end of her speech there was a delicate glare on her face as she slowly stood up and strolled to the center of the room. It was like watching a fuzzy kitten trying to be threatening, adorable.

"Skull visits us for three reasons: the animals, when you send him to us injured, and when he's calling on Arcobaleno business. When Skull stays the night at the Fuoco Familiare, it's to sleep with the animals in the larger holding cells. He's lucky the animals demand it, it's far better than the condemned buildings or sewers systems where some of our lie-spinners live."

" ** _But your books_** -" Now Lal just feeling pissy at the lavender haired chit.

"-are cooked? Yes. Let's cut the bull, the Carcassa Family has work to do. Shall I just put everything bluntly?"

The lady nodded to herself, giving a delicate tug on a bottle cap earring to compose herself and started talking to the room regardless of Lal's opinion.

"He owns four things: the bike, the cloths he wears, his bag of things, and Oodako. He has no home that we know of. There's no financial income or bank accounts. Since we've known him, he's had no actual job. During his rainbow curse, he's had nothing that didn't include the Arcobaleno and you made him do that for free. You don't pay for the trouble you cause him. When the curse was broken, he still traveled from place to place like a lost demented butterfly. He has no family, no friends, and a handful of acquaintances. "

"Since you've known him? You knew him before the curse? When he was a civilian."

Was it possible? The answer to Skull's past _here_ all along? The war in the regent's head was reflected on her face for everyone to see. Tell them or keep Skull's trust.

"I want that file."

A smile stole across Lal's face as the young woman gained new bounce in her heel. The Regent had chosen to kept Skull's trust with minimal loss to herself. Lal Mirch could see it plain as day.

"Doesn't exist, Lady Lal, don't bother yourself! Patient confidentiality exists for licensed practitioners and the recordings are promptly fed to our lava salamanders after memorizing the data. We learned well from the mafia to never keep a record. Call us when he needs a friendly face. Ask for Selena Lovegood."

With the contact card given, Mrs. Lovegood promptly turned around with a beaming grin and started signaling her group to leave. The vagabonds started to picking stuff up and raiding the concession table.

"Would you like to know how to get his attention, Mr. Wind?"

"Castles?

"You're in the wrong country of castles, Master Dragon. Animals and Stunt Rallies. I'm sure you'll eventually think of a place with both."

Mrs. Lovegood quirkily twirled and twisted around her people to herd them to the exit before she paused at the door herself. A contemplative look on her face. Lal was suddenly very aware of how misty and cloudy Mrs. Lovegoods eyes were. It was Luce all over again

"You know, you were quite right Mrs. Mirch... You are the reason he's a flight risk. Heaven knows, you haven't fucked him over enough to send him our way, yet."

The door softly clicked closed.

"Are you going to keep that number?" Shy interest peeked through red eyes.

Lal put a hole in Kozato's chair too.

.

 **The Bad Bar Joke**  
 ** _Broken_**  
 _Multiple identities can be a problem_

« — * — »

 _._

Harry, Chis, John, Max, Frank, and Skull walked into a pub. Harry ordered a Cider, Chris a draft, Max a Lager, John didn't care, Frank couldn't decide so ordered a 'Car Bomb' and Skull just wanted to drink himself to death.

« — * — »

"I'm glad you're picking him up. He's only been here a couple of hours." The bartender explained as Fon tiredly waved his credit card, it was only the first stop at o'dark thirty in the morning. Hibari's Hibird would have committed murder before dawn for less.

"He finally cracked. He drunk text my phone. I tracked him to a biker bar with a 4 digit tab. A stunt-clown lost a bet and footed the bill."

It was a rare glimpse behind the Sun's impenetrable persona. A wounded posture and expression Fon had never seen before. Reborn was slouched in the shadows and looked haunted. A chip in the chaos armor while everyone else was away; chased remnants of Skull's past and problems.

Skull really was broken - He kept switching seats and mixing his drink. He was talking and responding to himself in different names, languages, and accents. He even had widely different gestures and mannerisms!

"Dude, who's that?"  
"Fon! You're Here!"  
"Longwei. A cider?"  
"Guys, it's Mr. Chameleon!"  
"Not a lizard, that's Reborn too!"  
"Sensei-sama! My friends are here!"

"Is he an actor?" The bartender chattered. "He's quite good! What plays has he been in..."

Needless to say, the bartender never got the truth.

.


	5. Chapter 5

.

 **The Bad Bar Joke**  
 ** _Devil's Luck_**  
 _The stunt-clown paid the first bill, Fon paid the third, the second was on Reborn_

« — * — »

.

"Choose your poison, Everyone!" The devil smiled at his friends. They were an amusing bunch. They came from all walks of life, different eras, and different universes.

The clientele of the _Glückliche Teufel_ was unique; singular and exclusive. Not just anyone could walk in. You needed _luck_ to enter the devil's bar.

Tonight just got better, one of his favorites was here tearing up the place. His current name was Reborn and he was on a winning streak. Don't be fooled. It wasn't money that was the currency but it's equivalent exchange. They raveled in the freedom to win, lose, prank each other, and vent at no cost to themselves. Oh no, the cost was in the rules. The devil had only three.

Never use your real name. It was a simple exchange. Use the name of someone you know and they got pegged with the cost. If you choose a _random_ name, then you had to foot the loses of an equivalent value. Considering the ability to make someone smile was priceless... the exchanges could be a vast range of things and equally amusing.

.

Ring … Ring...

 _"Dead or Deing"_

"Reborn?"

.

Always pay the house. It didn't even matter if it was something stolen or owned by another as long as it was acquirable. Tonight Skull had gifted him with the ability to mess with a person from his home world. Someone with a lot of pride and temper. A person of interest who'd hurt his favorite in the past. It was amusing since Skull wasn't even losing.

 _._

 _"…You are?"_

"The Glückliche Teufel. You stopped here last night. Played a few hours of drunken poker. Left a $150,000 bill. We're calling so you're not shocked at the bank withdrawal. You did consent for the funds to be taken from-"

 _"SKULLLLL!"_

Click…

.

A tickled smile curled on the sanguine face when the call ended early. He loved days like this. Should he call again? Skull _was_ one of his favorites. He lived for the chaos that followed the mangled wizard around the club.

.

Ring…. Rinngg…. Voicemail…

"Honestly Reborn, you should have quit while you were ahead. You really don't have the skills to keep playing this kind of game once you're on a losing- ."

 _"LACKEY! YOUR DEAD!"_

Click…

.

Then there was the last rule.

Tell no one. They didn't need a goodie-two-shoes god to crash a perfectly legal party.

They came here to escape after all. It helped time didn't exist here and they could return when they were ready to go with the Devil's Luck on their side instead of their own 'stupid, blind, bad, fools, good, beginner's luck'.

Blessed or cursed, luck was their ticket here and chaos their currency.

.

 **Stunt Gods Never Die**  
 ** _Silence_**  
 _Silence speaks louder than words_

* + * \O/ * + *

.

Rrrrrrrrroooarrrr!

"The crowd goes wild! Ladys and Gentlmen, we've never…"

Quite honestly, Fon was never a fan of stadium seating. It was a filthy place; jam-packed with the grime of humanity. None of them had visited Skull's stunt shows. Unfortunately, Fon could not afford to be ousted here or bait a country the size of Germany again. This could have failed had Skull been in the wrong area. Now, the Arcobaleno could talk shop and _watch_ Skull. The scatter-brained cloud had already spooked twice.

"We're lucky as it is, Lal. He doesn't remember me."

"Try harder!"

"No luck, Reborn, I can't find a seal."

It hurt. Every time to be seen and not remembered. The need to play this charade with one of their own. To High Heaven, the broken bond was agony. The trust was gone. Not reacting to the things Skull revealed. How much was real. Hidden from them. Fake. Nothing was right, yet nothing turned up. After tricking Skull into a calm Zen inducing sleep, Fon had _searched_. He'd kept the twitchy cloud under for hours. He slept like Reborn dozing on a trigger high.

They saw the distorted, rippled reflection in the water; not the hidden depth beneath.

"I'm beginning to wonder if you're the great and powerful information broker you claim, Viper. Checkerface went to great pains to insure we were powerful loners."

"Your point?"

"Viper, where's your file that says Skull's name is Harry, in his 20s, British, married, has three kids and vanished from us twice." Fon couldn't sound more deadpan unless death itself smacked him.

 _disbelief_

A rare ringing in a symphony of sound.  
An island of stillness in crowded seats.  
Married. Kids. **Family.** Betrayal.

CCCRRUU... SSSHHHH…EEEEEEE….WHHOOMP….

 _Silence_

.

.

A barricade shattered, hollowed.

A twisted metal parody of a cage.

A tomb.

.

 **Stunt Gods Never Die**  
 ** _Whispers_**  
Whispers travel faster than light and echo in the dark

* + * \O/ * + *

.

A barricade shattered, hollowed.  
A twisted metal parody of a cage.  
A tomb.

.

'Oh God…. Someone… '  
'Someone get the evac medics!'  
'Is he dead?'  
'Get the motorcycle off him!'  
'FON, get down there!'  
'What's happening?'  
'He's walking.'  
'Kora!?'

"Ladys and Gentlemen! Skull has gone down in history again! The Immortal Skull De Mort smiles upon you! A survivor of one of the most horrific accidents we've ever seen! May Skull-sama's legend never die!"

skull! Skull! SKULL! _SKULL!_ **_SKULL!_** The crowd roared, and stomped it's feet. The civilians went nuts and demanded more.

The Arcobaleno were shocked to the core, deathly pale and ill looking. Every mafioso there was frozen, white-eyed and stone cold.

Then the whispers started. The harsh glare of the stage lights couldn't hide them.

 _"…helmet shrapnel"_  
 _"…even alive"_  
 _"…not possible"_  
 _"…miracle"_  
 _"…not a scratch"_  
 _"…betrayal"_  
 _"…bike crumbled"_  
 _"…flame sealed"_  
 _"…lies"_

Who was Skull and …

"Chaos! How is he not dead?"

The whispers followed their shadows. Hissing. Taunting. Haunting. _Mocking._

 _"…impossible"_

It _echoed_ in their memories.

 _"…immortal"_

.


	6. Chapter 6

**.**

 **Skyfall**  
 ** _Hail_**  
 _To think before acting is to look before leaping_

' "¦ '|¦' |' ¦' " '

.

Colonello sat quietly leaning against the headboard of the bed. A rhythmic pitter patter rained across the open window. The proximity of the others drained the stress of the last month out of him while his fingers carded though a violent mess of hair sleeping in his lap. Scattered about the room, the Arcobaleno softly emitted their flames in an inducing sleep. They were silent and ever watchful sentinels, ready to vanish at the second of stirring wakefulness. The Stunt Rally had shocked them. Stopped them from just simply reacting and really start _thinking._

Skull had picked a natty apartment complex in a rundown part of town and was far removed from the luxuries that the Arcobaleno liked. Skull's life hadn't been glamorous. Sure, he put on a good show, but there were signs. Like this third-rate shit hole barely worthy of the insects they vaporized on sight as target practice. The cloud was penniless and didn't even have basic essentials.

Before the abduction, no one had believed Skull of any value to be followed, let alone be kidnapped. Colonello had been desperate enough to demand a meeting from Reborn to get the menace out of his hair when they'd been ambushed by red cloaked strangers. There'd been no warning; the takedown flawless. He'd described as much as he could remember to Lal and Reborn, but he'd blacked out before the attack was over.

It was the first-time he'd seen Skull go full blown cloud-panic. His past blank-slated, Skull probably didn't even know _why_ he'd panicked. Skull had been there before.

Colonello didn't want to remember either, but he had time to calm down, _think_. It had been deep in the London Underground, old. From the few rooms he'd seen before losing his eyes, they were inventors, researchers, sadistic and insane. Something had malfunctioned and escaped. There had been eight decades and vital information to harvest. They'd started their experiment and he was the _wrong_ person. They'd thought he'd been someone named Potter, a rogue. Colonello had been worth something anyway. They'd called him a squib. _Soul active_. _Elemental_.

Colonello shivered at the thoughts and the rain changed to hail striking the pavement outside.

The aftermath was brutal. Body carved up, he'd been unable to truly fall unconscious. He'd felt the shifting of an escape, the smell of burning, the impossible accelerated healing unassisted by flames, and woke to Skull unconscious next to him in the Forest of Dean. It was Pandora's box since then, but with no hope in sight. The man was mentally deteriorating and Skull's skeletons were withering in the shadows unanswered.

Silently, they each slipped away to the apartment above. The time for simply _reacting_ was over. They each had a part to play in getting Skull to Fon's circus troupe. Fon was slipping out tonight to coordinate and secure the troupe. At the witching hour, Verde and Viper were leaving to meet their allies at the Berlin lab where Verde had the stunt bike and _finally_ start collaborating intelligence. Reborn, Lal and himself were left on CloudWatch.

Reborn had deliberately set off an anxiety attack with Leon. Skull's thoughts would start exactly where they'd stopped and continue uninterrupted after Viper woke him. Skull would never know they'd been there. After seeing Leon, Skull was going to run. When it happened, they were to detain him as long as possible, and direct him as best they could.

Whoever the Deathdealer was, they'd watched Skull walk away unscathed. Confronted with the enemy's shear gall, Colonello couldn't treat Skull like a lackey. The odds were stacked against them. The group's only resources were London, still withering in hellfire, and Skull, stubbornly silent and falling apart. Colonello was not losing their cloud to phantoms hiding in the dark.

With a final tussle of Skull's hair, Colonello was the last to slip through the open window. Wiggling his fingers in goodbye to Oodako, he caressed Falco and Leon on the way out; leaving them as the only silent reminder of the Arcobaleno. The quiet sounds of the storm outside soothed the way to an otherwise quieter night and soon to be busy morning.

They had cages to rattle and a cloud to corral.

.

 **Moonshine**  
 ** _Reflection_**  
 _It take more than being a sun to heal the broken_

* + ° O * + °

.

A policeman? Bullshit.

Skull clearly had no idea what a Sun actually was.

Even the mafia fell short on the true berth of a Suns' capability.

Suns' shed light to the world around them. They were _nurtures_. They tended the home, raised the children, trained the cavalry, reared kings, healed wounds, fostered ideals and supported dynasties. The best of them could spot falsehoods from miles away.

Suns' saw the true nature of _people_. It made them deadly in their chosen professions.

He suspected -Harry- had been the true power of their Cloud. The missing piece to _why_ the pacifier had chosen him. This was Skull in his prime before his downfall, which had become the broken scattered remains they'd known. Broken remains that the Arcobaleno couldn't understand but had re-forged anyway.

Skull was something to those people but not a cop.

He did not like what that implied, and Suns' scalded what they did not like.

Reborn never feigned. He was an asshole who scorched everyone with his intensity to elevate himself. For the longest time he lost his title not to the _I prescelti settle_ as everyone believed, but to _Skull._ The mismanagement of his temper and abuse had cost him dearly. For all his skill and power at the time, Reborn was unmistakably a failure in dealing with people, negligent and irresponsible. It took an epoch of toddlerhood and training two skys from _Vongola_ to sooth the scars he'd left behind.

It took years of mistakes to realize the World's Greatest wasn't a title, but a privilege shared between _seven_. A pledge to _nurture_ the fractured pieces of the mafia world instead of culling it.

World's Greatest? What a joke. Skull's unwitting reminders of all his continuous blunders alway seared. It was becoming very clear no one had an inkling their Skull was fractured before even meeting at the Acrobaleno summit. Now, with Skull's sealed flame and mangled psych, he couldn't yield to past errors. Skull had never needed a Sun.

Reborn had to change his tune.  
Dazzle instead of blaze.  
Sooth rather than irritate.

Up close and personal, he saw it now. Recognized what it was. Skull's irrational urge to watch. To antagonize. To be the center of _Reborn_ attention. It was instinct. Something in Skull knew, but ignorance could never name. If he ever wanted Skull back as _their_ cloud; healed and whole in some form... Reborn needed to be something he'd never done. He'd only heard about it in rumors.

A Sun could also be a Moon.

A cool reflection of himself.  
The beacon in the dark.  
A nurturer to shadowed lives.  
A soothing balm to lost souls.  
The gentle seducer of secrets.

No one had secrets like -Harry-. No one had ever heard of Harry. His secrets had riddles encased in mystery... things Reborn wasn't liking. What they hinted at. What his own informants whispers in the dark corners about eons past.

Omertà _started_ because of them. The Vindicare reinforced Omertà to stop flame users from disappearing _because_ of them. The bodies that turned up dead before Omertà... No one quarreled with the hidden black-op communities that every country seemed to have or uproot their secrets. No one could touch their agents. No one ever remembered their encounters but everyone knew they were out there.

They were the stuff of myths.

If he was right...

 _Skull had been one of them._

If he was right... Despite the years gone...

 _They came back for **him.**_

If he was right...

 _They were never letting Skull go free._

He needed the Moon to embrace the darkness Skull was drowning in.

.

 **Dawn of Digital**  
 ** _Target_ _Acquired_**  
 _Seek and you shall find_

—√\/—

.

Chirp.

 _{LightingArc, data query: id 'CloudArc' complete;}_

 _._

Verde dug out his phone to read the alert and made the call to Reborn. "All his phone data is coming in now."

.

 _{CloudArc, data record :_  
 _'google' query input: London Fire - 12, local stunt event locations - 2;_  
 _'youtube' query input: motorcycle stunts - 13;_  
 _device txt: StormArc - 24, SunArc - 5;_  
 _output call: Unk …}_

.

"Get me his location."

Verde and Viper stared at the phone incredulously. What? Wasn't Reborn detaining Skull at his apartment? Wait…He escaped again? A third time? Were the other Arcobaleno losing their touch? This was Skull for Vindicare's sake.

"You lost him?!"

"Verde! Reborn knew Skull- OW! trouble before … Fuck you! … my brain … you … Skull … UHG! … because of you!"

.

Chirp.

 _{CloudArc: 'google' query input: Hamburg Hospital Germany; }_

.

"Reborn. He just looked up the Hamburg Hospital. Viper and I are going. Clean up your mess. For once, _Skull_ is not here to do it for _you_."

Click.

.


	7. Chapter 7

.

 **Dawn of Digital**  
 ** _Blood Sport_**  
 _Karma is the reflection of personal interactions with people_

—√\/—

 _._

"Viper. Scrap world domination. We are murdering Reborn once Skull is contained to my lab."

The situation was FUBAR, beyond anything he'd ever seen, and Verde was pissed Skull was also just as 'Fucked Up Beyond All Reason' because of their in-actions. Reborn could go hang… after Verde's battery of Sun Torture _Endurance_ Tests.

The hospital supply closet they were hiding in didn't help his IQ either.

.

Chirp.

 _{HamHospArchive, data query:_  
 _input: male, coma, purple hair, scars, 20xx-20xx;_  
 _records found: 1583;_  
 _record accessed: 34;_  
 _record printed: Max Mustermann - 20280405 - InTransferred - LongTerm Ward - Coma Patient - notes ' .amnesia, , .xxhosp';_ }

.

What's this? A German 'John Doe'?

"It was a bad idea to take over the world. It costs too much." Verde ignored Viper's sarcasm in favor of accessing the only printed file. "We could gain a substantial amount if we turn our Sun's death into a blood sport. There's been 57 offers already."

The file blanked before he got past the first page and the archive was no longer connected to the _MedWeb_. Whatever Skull had done, they now needed to find the backup hard drive and data mine what was left. Fucking Reborn.

.

 **Sunfire**  
 ** _Red-Handed_**  
 _Be careful what you wish for_

—{ ❊ }—

.

"Mr. Sinclair."

Reborn startled away from the enclosure. Mrs. Lovegood's stern voice sounded right next to his ear. When did she get there?

"When I mentioned the lava salamanders, it was not an invitation to sneak into our facility to torture the poor dears with your presence and language skills."

"That wasn't a protest to my appearance."

Flashing the lovely a charming smile, he could work on her instead.

"The wackspurts had already informed me. I would have released the raptors, otherwise."

He lost the smile quickly.

"You don't really have dinosaurs, do you?"

"Do you really want to find out?"

No. No, he did not.

"The break room is this way. Care for some tea and biscuits?"

"Lead the way, Signora."

.

"Why are you still here, Signora? It's well past midnight."

"A healer never sleeps, Mr. Sun."

"I'm sure we cou-"

"Chris Wallowby"

"Pardon?"

The lavender haired lady set the dainty teacup to the side with a sigh and gave him a dispassionate stare. Would you look at that, she was truly and utterly uninterested in him.

"You're looking for Skull's past. I can't stop you. However, if it saves my darlings from being harassed by the likes of you, I can point you in the right direction. So... Chris Wallowby. When he first walked into this faucility, that was his name."

"Grazie, Signora. I'll see myself out."

"A tip, Mr. Sun before you leave. He bonded with Oodako the old fashioned way, through years of emotion wrecked tears and tender loving care. Your familiars came from us. Even the Mafia Worlds 343 box animals live here when not summoned by the box users. They all know Skull and are possessive of him, even if some show it in rather irritating ways."

"Lady Lovegood." Reborn nodded his head in respect and turned to leave.

Quick as lighting he was halted, her hand clawed his wrist in an unbreakable grip.

"Renato… be careful. _~ In every darkness shines a light, but even hell is bright to those who travel its roads~"_

Shivers crawled up and down Reborn's spine. _Prophecy._

 _._

"Oh, Reborn, please pick up Leon on the way out."

What? Where was the chameleon?

"Try the lava salamanders. I hear they have quite the party during mating season."

Cazzo! Why did he have to have the promiscuous pet?

.

 **Dawn of Digital**  
 ** _Precious_**  
 _One man's treasure is another man's trash_

—√\/—

.

no… No… NO…. NO!

It was a nightmare!

"It was just a relic, Verde, jezz."

"It was an Apple IlE! "

It was the perfect system! While everyone was appalled to not have the latest and greatest technology on the market, certain industries worshipped the old and archaic technology. The everyday sheeple's demand for an overhaul couldn't compare.

The old relics were the perfect anti-theft machines. Few knew how to operate them. Few knew how to maintain and repair them. All parts had to be custom made and installed. Best of all, there was no way to use modern technology on the fossils. They were the perfect cyber proof firewall.

…and it was a mangled pile of splinters!

"Does it have what we need or are we just wasting time and money?"

It didn't. Not anymore.

"I need to think."

He needed to pace, and tap a pen against his glasses. There was a solution here. He stared at a hardline wire leading away from the mess and up the wall to the ceiling. Turning again, a truly evil smile spread across Verde's face. So many people were ignorant of what was in the nasty tiled ceilings. Before wifi, everything had to be physically linked and most places had truly ancient modems, routers, and servers slaving away in dark moldy, rat infested, and cobweb laced ceiling spaces.

yes…. Yes… Yes!

Skull wouldn't have known how the backbone of the modern technology worked over a century ago.

He had a new job for the smaller and nimbler Arcobaleno.

Viper's look of horror was priceless.

.


End file.
